Increase in normal minimum pension age

On 6 April 2010, the earliest age at which a member of a UK registered pension scheme can ordinarily draw his or her pension increased from 50 to 55. This age is known as normal minimum pension age (NMPA). Subject to two exceptions, a pension scheme that pays a pension before NMPA on or after 6 April 2010 will make an unauthorised payment, meaning that the member will become liable for an unauthorised payments charge.

Checklist: 2010 Budget

I thought it worthwhile circulating this checklist which highlights some of the key issues from the 2010 Budget that are likely to impact small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).  What happens if there is a change in government on May 6th? - who knows!

Public procurement and SMEs

Changes to the Insolvency Rules 1986

Substantive changes to the Insolvency Rules 1986 came into force on 6 April 2010. Some of the amendments will affect businesses that find themselves as creditors of insolvent companies. Here are the key points that businesses that find themselves in that situation should be aware of:

• Insolvency practitioners can now

Data Protection: New powers for the Information Commissioner

Back in January, I gave you advanced warning that the Information Commissioner was to be given new powers to impose fines of up to half a million pounds.  Re-reading my original article together with the Data Protection Check List it contained is recommended.